Born For This
by ZePuKa
Summary: All his life, Alvin always knew he was made for so much more. Simon insisted that meant Alvin should learn to behave himself, Theo swore it meant they'd find a family someday, but Alvin knew he was meant to reach for the stars. After 20 years of life, he finally found his chance... So what if that meant he had to ride in on the coattails of the international pop star named BR!TT?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter**** 1  
><strong>_Artwork: #01 ~16 Year Old Alvin_

"Worst. Day. Ever." Simon muttered under his breath, shoving a trash can out of his way as he pushed a mop back and forth over the vinyl floor of the science hall. Amazing how gross college kids could be, tossing their half-finished soda cans at the trash can and leaving a sticky mess for the janitor – for him. How had he been brought so low in the span of a few hours? This morning had been so full of hope – his first day on the first semester of his higher education at Cedar Grove University, where he'd been granted early admittance and a full scholarship to pursue his first love: science. At least, that was what he thought that morning...

* * *

><p>"May I see your financial papers?" The check-in worker asked as Simon worked his way down the line.<p>

"Certainly." Simon had enthusiastically replied, simply pumped to get his college education started. Pulling out a blue folder from his backpack, he added, "I think you'll find everything in order there. I took the liberty of color-coding which funds came from which scholarships."

The clerk – a sour-looking middle-aged woman who appeared to have had a surgery or two attempting to preserve her youth – merely shot him an annoyed glance over the rim of her reading glasses as she took the folder from him and keyed in the numbers from it into a nearby laptop. After a few seconds she looked up expectantly and demanded, "And what form of payment will you be using to make up the difference?"

"The... d- the what!?" the bespectacled freshman inquired, taking the folder back from her and flipping through the papers he'd assembled. "I don't understand, I ran the calculations multiple times, these scholarships fully covered the expense of tuition..."

"Tuition, yes, but what about the other fees? Housing fees, - "

"Oh I already made other living arrangements."

" - meal fees, activity fees, processing fees, and oh, look, you're in the sciences... most of these charges are laboratory fees."

"Wait, there must be some sort of mistake! I - "

"Next!"

"No, wait! I - "

"Look, if you can't offer alternative payment for the difference, then you'll have to talk to a school counselor. For the sciences, that'd be room 521 of the Science C building. Next!"

"But!"

"Move it! In case you didn't notice, there are plenty of paying students waiting behind you."

Taking the folder back from the witch, Simon dejectedly left the check-in line and made his way towards one of the many red-shirted volunteers offering aid and direction to the overwhelmed and lost freshmen.

"Excuse me, could you direct me to the 'Science C' building?" he asked the short blond female – the closest of the red shirts - with more than just a hint of frustration in his voice.

"Of course! Don't worry, it's TOTALLY simple! You just exit these doors, take the path past the courtyard, taking the first right after the fountain. The path will lean to the right and you'll start going down some stairs. The first building at the top of the stairs is Science A, and the next at the bottom of the first flight of stairs is Science B, and the one after, Science C!" She responded, with a cheeriness that seemed to just rub Simon's misfortune in his face.

Despite his plummeting attitude, he felt duty-bound to maintain common courtesy, and so forced a smile as he replied, "Thank you for your help, miss."

The blond giggled a little – seriously, this chick was unnaturally cheerful – and responded, "Please, just call me Eleanor. 'Miss' just makes me think of Miss Gibbens" She said the name only as loud as just above a whisper with a nod of her head back at the sour clerk that had just handled Simon's financial folder.

Simon couldn't stifle a chuckle, and allowed himself a small moment of humor as he whispered back, "Haha, heavens no, far be it from me to ever insult even my worst enemy by comparing them to Miss Gibbens." The blond – that is, Eleanor.. he'd have to remember her name, as she could very well be his first friend in this dismal school – practically cackled with uncontrollable laughter as Simon took his leave to find the 'Science C' building.

He found it easily enough – Eleanor's directions had been excellent, precise, just the way he liked to receive his information – and just as easily found room 521. Unfortunately, he had to wait a while for an available counselor, and even more unfortunate, they couldn't do anything for him.

With a heavy heart and shattered dreams, Simon aimlessly made his way through the science halls, at a loss over what to do. The long and short of it was that he was penniless. He was completely dependent on scholarships to get here in the first place. How could he ever scrounge up the money to cover these unforeseen costs? As it was, Theo had already gotten himself another part-time job to help offset the other two's living expenses. Both Simon and Alvin had tried to dissuade him, but Theo had insisted that the chance for the two of them to go to college was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and he felt privileged to support them in any way he could. It really was once in a lifetime... when they'd all been under the age of five – he three, Alvin four, and Theo just two – their parents had died tragically in a car accient, leaving the boys with no living relatives, for they had been immigrants, and um, not exactly... legal.

The boys spent their entire childhood moving from foster house to foster house, never staying in one place for too long, probably due to Alvin's, erm, _excessive_ attention-getting antics. Usually the story went something like this: arrive at a new foster home, get slightly attached, find out the caregivers are getting overwhelmed with Alvin's 'high maintenance', get an offer to stay with the guardians on the condition that Alvin goes elsewhere for 'special needs treatment', refuse since you all vowed not to get separated, repeat. With Theo turning eighteen this past spring, they were now all officially adults and out of the system, with part time jobs, a tiny shared studio apartment, and no hope for their lives ever improving.

That is, until luck finally decided to turn their way and smile upon them. The boys had all maintained a good relationship with their alma mater high school, and as a result spent their off-shift times volunteering at the school. Simon helped keep the laboratories in working order and set out equipment for the upcoming classes, and as a result, the professors wrote letters of recommendation to a prominent science professor at Cedar Grove, resulting in early admission and a 'full' scholarship. Alvin had always been a favorite of the coaches at the high school, and was often called in to fill in after the star quarterback of the football team wound up with a broken leg. It just so happened that one of the big games he subbed for had a scout in attendance, and soon after Alvin was offered late admission, a full football scholarship, and a position in the first line of players for Cedar Grove's football team.

Simon sighed, shaking his fist in the air as a 'screw you' to Lady Luck, who'd waved these perfect opportunities in their faces, just to take them away. He wondered if Alvin had found out about all these hidden fees yet... What about Theo? He'd be absolutely devastated when he heard about all this. Imagining the look on his youngest brother's face firmed his resolve. No, he wasn't going to let it end this easily. He'd come too far to just give up. Feeling a burst of confidence and inspiration, he strode off to find another red shirt volunteer to tell him where he could find Professor Hudson's office. If Professor Hudson had managed to secure all those scholarships for Simon, maybe he could pull a few more strings...

On his way back to the welcome center, a red blur slammed into him. "ALVIN!" He cried, not even needing to see the face on the speeding skateboarder to know who it was. "Watch where you're going, will you!?"

"Oh lighten up, will you?" Alvin pleaded breathlessly as he dismounted from his board and kicked it up into his hand. "It's our first day! You should be PUMPED! Don't be such a stick in the mud."

Perhaps Alvin hadn't yet made it through check-in... how else he could be so cheerful despite their poor fortune? "Um, Alvin... did you make it through check-in yet?"

"Ugh, stop baby-ing me, Simon! I'm an adult, and older than you; I can take care of myself."

"Oi, just answer the question, Al."

"Yes, oh Grumpy One, I got that out of the way first thing for once, so I could get to exploring the campus and all its - " he paused to wink at a cute redhead that was passing by, " - treasures."

"And you... didn't have _any_ problems?" Simon pressed, incredulous.

"Uh, no, of course not. Why would I?"

"They didn't try to charge you for things like 'activity' fees?"

"Noooo... why are you asking? What's up?"

"Let me see your check-in papers." Simon demanded, hardly waiting for his elder brother to slide his backpack off his shoulder. After a cursory glance, it was quite clear what was going on. "I see how it is... now that's just wrong. How can this place call themselves an 'Institution for Higher Learning' when they prioritize funds to sponsor jocks, but can't even cover the expenses and invest in the truly promising minds of the future!?"

"You mean your scholarship didn't cover everything? Wow, sucks for you."

"Thanks for the support, Alvin."

"Whoah, chill, I was just joking... I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding, why don't you talk to a counselor?"

"I did! Now if you'll excuse me, I need to find Professor Hudson."

"You're excused." Alvin wasted no time in responding, his eye catching a group of cheerleaders heading towards the cafeteria, "Catch ya later!"

* * *

><p>And this is how it ended... with Simon working as a 'sanitation engineer' for the science buildings. Oh, Professor Hudson came through with his string pulling, but unfortunately, this was the best he could do. In exchange for his services, his 'activity' – what did that even <em>mean<em>!? - fees would be waived, and Hudson was able to pull an additional small scholarship to cover the laboratory fees. At least he wouldn't have to disappoint Theo or pass up this opportunity to live out his dreams, but the fact that Alvin got away without any of this just wasn't _fair_. Brimming with frustration, Simon shoved the mop back into the water bucket, accidentally sending up a spray of water with the force of it.

"Eek!" a feminine voice cried, making Simon cringe. Great, now he'd accidentally splashed an innocent bystander.

Wincing as he turned to face the girl, he hastily spewed his apologies, "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean - " He stopped mid-sentence, taking in the sight of the girl – nay, goddess – who stood before him, meeting his deep blue eyes with her striking violet ones. He may have kept a vast supply of knowledge available within the many neurons in his brain, but right now, the only ones that occurred to him right now were that she was the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen, he'd suddenly lost his ability to speak, his new favorite color was purple, and nothing else in the world mattered.

"Oh, no, t-that's alright. I wasn't looking where I was g-going." The perfect portrait of femininity assured him, wiping at the wet spot on her skirt.

"Oh, l-let me help y-you with that!" Simon exclaimed, suddenly snapping out of his stupor and regaining his ability to make words – albeit with the occasional stutter. His mouth wasn't the only thing struggling to function, he discovered, as he fumbled around his janitor caddy, unable to make his hands steady. He finally found a clean cloth and reached out to help the girl, but she instinctively shied away.

"That's okay, you d-don't have to... I can get it." she insisted, but as a result of her instinct to back up, she tripped over the trash can Simon had displaced, causing her to squeak in surprise.

Luckily, Simon had regained control of his hands, and in a display of coordination that surprised even himself, he caught hold of the lady's arm before she completely lost balance, but overcompensated and managed to draw her close – very close – to himself.

"Oh!" She exclaimed, blushing furiously as she found herself eye-to-eye with Simon.

"Oh my, I'm sorry, I-I guess I pulled a little too hard!" Simon cried, hastily letting go of her arm and taking a step back to give her breathing room. He mentally kicked himself for his newfound awkwardness – usually, he was completely cool and collected. It must be his new circumstances, being a janitor and all, that had resulted in his sudden lack of confidence, not to mention the girl's bewitching powers that seemed to disarm him with even the slightest glance. Sheepishly, he handed over the clean cloth, refusing to meet those dazzling eyes again and instead feigning interest in a tile on the floor. "Here." he said simply, not trusting himself with more than one word at a time.

"Th-thank you." she said, still stunned from the whole ordeal so far. She took a few moments to sop up the blotch on her skirt before handing it back.

Simon accepted it and wrung it out in the mop bucket, fully expecting the girl to continue on her way, but to his great delight, she spoke up once more, "Erm... so you work here?"

It took a second to form a response – his brain seemed to be working at half-speed ever since he gazed into her eyes – but he managed a, "Well, sorta... I'm actually a freshman here..." He hastened to add, "I-I just decided to work part time as well..." That wasn't _completely_ a lie... he did have the decision to NOT work... it would've just meant that he wouldn't get to be a student either.

"Oh, really!? I'm a freshman too! W-what are you studying?" She asked excitedly, and Simon risked making eye contact again. Bad decision. Those fetching orbs were aglow with joy and anticipation as she waited for his answer, making it that much harder for him to form coherent sentences.

"I, uh, I'm not entirely settled on the matter yet. I'm torn between chemistry and robotics. I'm just enrolled as 'General Scientific Studies' until I decide."

"Really!? That's amazing!" If it was at all possible, those eyes were twinkling even brighter.

"What about you?"

"Forensic Sciences. But I want to minor in Criminal Justice... I-I know, everyone says I've watched too many criminal investigation sh-shows..." She seemed to catch herself getting too excited, and instinctively recoiled back into herself, hands drawn up to her face in an attempt to hide the blush that was forming on her porcelain cheeks. Goodness, she was adorable in pink. "S-speaking of which, I need to get to forensics orientation!" She exclaimed, eyes widening as she realized the time. Simon's heart skipped a beat – this girl was just too much cute for him to handle. He had to physically shake his head to bring his mind back to reality, just in time to call out before she was beyond hearing distance, "Wait, miss!" He cringed as the image of the sour 'Miss Gibbens' floated to the forefront of his mind. He'd have to adjust his vocabulary so he never use the term 'miss' again.

"Huh?" she called back, turning and stopping to hear what Simon had to say.

"Um..." He stalled, nearly forgetting how to speak again, but forcing himself to say the words he was dying to, even if he had to croak them out. "What's your name?"

"J-Jeanette." She replied, her blush deepening ever so slightly. "W-what's yours?"

He again paused unintentionally. Yes, Simon, the straight-A quantifiable genius just managed to forget his own name for a moment. "It's Si- Simon."

A small smile breaking across Jeanette's lips, she called out, "It was nice to meet you, Simon", as she ran off.

Simon sighed to himself, leaning on his mop, the dirty floors suddenly his new best friends, for they had afforded him the chance to meet the one called 'Jeanette'. "Best. Day. EVER."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I like to put a few details out up front at the beginning of my stories, just so everyone's clear on what to expect. That way, if you don't like what you hear here, then you won't waste time reading more chapters than you want to.**

**Disclaimer:** As always, I don't own the rights to Alvin & the Chipmunks, The Chipettes, or any other characters, media, songs, or other references used in the story. I'll try to keep a track of references at the end of each chapter for things like when I quote a certain song.

**Rating:** Rated **T** mostly to be on the safe side, but here's the breakdown of what you can expect to see / not see:  
>- <em>Language<em>: I strive to keep my stories curse-word free, as is socially acceptable in the U.S.A. I don't claim to have any knowledge of any other country's lingo and what words they may find offensive, so if I happen to stumble across one, I apologize. In cases where I feel dramatic emphasis is needed, I'll sometimes invent an 'explicative' that I could imagine the character using. For instance, if Theodore ever got frustrated enough to express himself in colorful words, I imagine the worst he could say would be along the lines of "Oh fudge muffin!"  
>- <em>Religion<em>: In the spirit of 'staying in character', I do not believe the chipmunk characters to be all that religious, and will thus not be incorporating that into the story. If by chance the need arises, they'd fall under the American stereotype: having some amount of faith in Christianity. I don't expect the need to arise in this story, but if you're offended by God, Jesus, Mother Mary, 10 commandment morality, or prayer, you are welcome to avoid this story to stay on the safe side.  
>- <em>Violence: <em>I'm a fan of slap-stick comedy, so there may well be some of that in the story, as well as the possibility for injury, minor fighting, and frightening situations. I will not, however, go into any gory details or put in random violence for the heck of it. If there is physical harm done to the characters, it will not be without purpose - be that purpose for plot progression or comic relief (in the case of slapstick and rough housing among brothers)  
>- <em> Sexuality<em>: There will be no sex in this story, nor scenes that 'lead up to' sex, nor any innuendo that sex occurs. There may be, however, mild sexual humor - these are college boys we're getting into the minds of here... However no jokes will be explicit, you'd have to be paying attention and looking for the double / implied meaning.

**Alternate Universe / Timeline Setting:** This story is set in the modern day, in a world where the chipmunks are actually human, are college age, and Alvin and his brothers haven't yet debuted. They also have grown up orphans, there was no Dave Seville in the picture, sadly. They also haven't yet met the Chipettes (who of course are also human) yet - but as you can see that's just now changing. I did enjoy the cartoon show when I was child, but it's been a loooong time since I've seen them, so I won't be pulling more than just the occasional inspiration or detail from it. As far as keeping characters in character, my main model is the CGI films, adjusted for this alternate universe / timeline and an older age.

**Characters:** Since FF only allows 4 characters associated with a story, I didn't have room to include Theodore and Eleanor, even though they are indeed main characters in the story. I will primarily be focusing on Alvin and Brittany, secondly on Simon and Jeanette, and thirdly on Theodore and Eleanor. I know, so typical... but in my defense, most of the original Chipmunk media spent about the same percentage of focus... in the original series, Simon and Theodore were no more than backup singers while Alvin and Dave did all the talking! And for the record, Simon and Jeanette are actually my favorite characters, following in order: Theodore, Alvin, Eleanor, and Brittany. It's just that the character flaws in Alvin and Brittany afford for more character development, hence more story time.

**POVs:** The point of view will change whenever the story warrants it; whenever I feel a certain character's thoughts need to be heard. This may mean that a different character gets POVs for certain whole chapters, maybe even a few times in a row, or maybe just a section or two of a particular chapter - there is no rhyme or reason or regular 'cycling through' of the character POVs.

**Story Art: **I will be changing the story art for this story with each chapter that's posted, each one depicting one or more of the characters as they might look in their teenage / college years, in human form, of course. I really wanted to illustrate with visuals since we've never seen the chipmunks in human form. Currently, I'm using digital 'doll' makers, as I don't have the skill or the time to make them myself at the quality level I want. I'm primarily using Azalea's Doll Maker website to generate the artwork. I will be posting all current and past artwork in a DeviantArt collection, linked below. If by chance any fanart for the story comes to my attention, I'll be sure to include it in the collection.

**Story Art Link:** digipukamon DOT deviantart DOT com SLASH gallery SLASH 52045446 SLASH AATC-Chapter-Art

**Reviews: **Please leave a review, I'd love to hear from you! Feel free to point out any spelling / grammatical errors you find and leave constructive criticism! Any general comments on the story are welcome as well! Personally, I'd be thrilled if the first time you come across the story, you add a review with even as little as your pen name / alias, just so I have somewhat of a 'guestbook' for this story.

**Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**  
><em>Artwork: #02 Freshman Simon<em>

Eleanor sat patiently at an empty table, a tray of untouched food in front of her. She was humming contentedly to herself as she braided her flaxen tresses, satisfied with her days work, helping the new freshmen out. The only part that wasn't completely gratifying about the experience was that she had to wear a bright red shirt. She understood the reason of course - to be easily noticed - but it just wasn't her style. No, she was far more of a pastels and naturals kind of girl, with her favorite color being the natural opposite to red: green. That is, green-based colors, anyway... She probably had a far higher abundance of turquoises and aquamarines in her closet than just green, but it wasn't in her nature to be that technical - that was Jeanette's domain. Speak of the devil, here she came! Eleanor looked up and greeted her sister with a smile, finally ready to eat her delicious-looking dinner now that Jeanette had finally joined her.

"How was forensics orientation?" Eleanor asked enthusiastically, knowing that Jeanette had been looking forward to it for a whole month now - not that she talked about it incessantly or anything... Jeanette was too reserved for that. Eleanor could just tell by the way she carried herself with each approaching day, the growing glow in her eyes, and the faint smile that graced her lips with increasing frequency. Before Jeanette could even answer her question, Eleanor could already tell that it had gone extremely well, as all that body language had increased ten fold since this morning - Jeanette was obviously EXCEEDINGLY happy right now, even if to strangers she looked indifferent.

"It went pretty well I guess." the taller sister replied, placing her food tray on the table and taking a seat across from Eleanor. "They gave us a tour of the classrooms and laboratories we'd be using, as well as a list of supplies we'd be expected to get before the first lab. It seems like it'll be a fun and informative semester!"

"That's it?" Eleanor asked before she could stop herself. It's not that she didn't share Jeanette's enthusiasm - Eleanor prided herself on superb empathetic skills - but rather that her sister's excitement level didn't seem to line up with what she just told her. There just had to be more to it.

"Well, they also went over the syllabus, but that wasn't too exciting..."

"Oh... Did anything else happen today?"

"Huh? W-why do you ask?" Eleanor took note of the stutter - Jeanette only stuttered when she was nervous.

"I dunno, you just seem so happy. More than usual, I mean... More than I've ever seen you be for your studies."

"W-well, it's a new chapter, you know? S-starting your first semester? That's kind of a big d-deal."

Eleanor studied her sister's expression critically. She was failing to keep eye contact, so there was something she wasn't telling, and whatever it was was making her both happy and nervous. "_Ah well, she'll tell me when she's ready... She always does."_ She reasoned to herself, deciding to drop the issue... for now.

The sisters sat in silence awhile, each too busy eating their dinner to make small talk. Jeanette seemed to welcome the silence, visibly calming after she had tensed up over what had happened earlier that day. Eleanor finished her meal faster than her elder sister and moved on to the tiramisu she had chosen for dessert. "Oh my gosh!" She exclaimed after she had taken a bite, "This is delicious!"

"Hehe, you say that about EVERY dessert, Eleanor!"

"No, I'm serious! Never mind cafeteria standards, this is one of the best tiramisus I've had from ANYWHERE! Here, try a bite!" The sweet-tooth girl insisted, forcefully shoving a spoonful to her sister's mouth.

Knowing better than to argue, Jeanette opened her mouth and accepted the treat, taking a moment to savor the flavors. "Wow! That really _is_ superb! They must have hired a new chef or something!" she exclaimed, recalling that when she had taken classes here over the summer, the food had been a little better than cardboard.

"I think I'm going to get myself a meal plan, even though I'm not even a student here yet!" Eleanor proclaimed, half-joking, half-serious. She was still in her senior year of high school, but had been volunteering at the college so she could see more of her sister. Things got too lonely at home all by herself. Jeanette had moved to be on campus first thing that summer, taking a few gen-ed classes to get them out of the way so she would have room for more electives she wanted to take in the fall. Of course, Brittany was never at home with her job, and was usually off on tour somewhere, or working overtime at the studio. When she wasn't working, she crashed at her own penthouse apartment rather than coming home to visit.

"What's wrong?" Jeanette asked out of the blue, startling Eleanor out of her reverie.

"Huh?"

"You sighed. You always sigh when something's troubling you."

Eleanor giggled; sometimes she forgot that her sister could be just as good at reading her siblings' body language. "Sorry, I was just thinking that it'd be nice if Brittany could have joined us for dinner."

"Yeah... I'm sure she's just busy with rehearsals. I'm just glad she decided to volunteer to do the half time show for the homecoming game. At least we'll be getting to see a little bit more of her the next few weeks."

"True..." Eleanor admitted, but still doubted they'd see much of their sister at all. She knew Brittany couldn't really help it, but she couldn't help but be slightly bitter that Brittany often just had too much on her plate to take the time to see her sisters.

"Tell you what, why don't we finish up here and head on over to the music hall where they're rehearsing. If nothing else, we could at least cheer her on, even if she won't have time to hang out."

"That's a wonderful idea! I'll go get another piece of that tiramisu to bring to her!"

"Haha, don't get TOO excited, Eleanor. Remember, 'Superstars only eat super food.'" Jeanette cautioned, mocking her sister's notoriously used phrase whenever junk food or desserts were offered to her.

But Eleanor was too excited to heed Jeanette's words and rushed back up to the dessert table. To her horror, there was no more tiramisu set out! Thinking that perhaps they just hadn't refilled the buffet yet, Eleanor skipped over to the chef counter and flagged down one of the workers. "Excuse me, I'm sorry to bother you, but I was just wondering if there were any more pieces of tiramisu left?" she asked urgently, yet politely as the worker approached. She hadn't thought of it before, since she was in such a rush, but now that he was this close, she couldn't help but marvel at what a young face he had. She could empathize, of course, for she had a baby-face of her own, but honestly, this lad looked like he wasn't even old enough to drive yet, let alone meet the minimum age requirement of eighteen to work in the cafeteria - she knew this because she had looked into getting a job there, but unfortunately she wouldn't be turning eighteen until November, and thus couldn't apply.

"I'm sorry, we ran out about ten minutes ago. Is there anything else I could get you?" he replied, his emerald eyes conveying the sincerity of his apology.

"Oh, no thank you, I had only wanted a piece of the tiramisu to bring to my sister since I wanted her to know how delicious it was."

"Thank you, I'm so glad you enjoyed it!" The golden-haired boy beamed in reply.

"Wait, did YOU make it?" Eleanor interrogated, assuming that the 'thank you' must have implied that he was the one who made it, but just couldn't believe that one so young was so talented.

"Er, yes... Yes I did..." he answered, starting to show signs of bashfulness.

"Wow! You're so talented! I'll be sure to come back to eat some more of your delicious food! Thanks for the tiramisu - " she glanced at his name tag, as was often her habit, as she liked to be as personable as she could with people, " - Theodore!"

"Please call me Theo; I never go by my full name." He insisted, but then appeared to realize how forward he might be seeming and quickly shifted his gaze downward before adding, "Th-that is, if you want to..."

Eleanor giggled; she just found bashfulness completely endearing. "Have a good night, Theo!" she called as she returned to her sister, eager to go see Brittany, tiramisu or no tiramisu.

* * *

><p>Alvin sat back in satisfaction as he pushed away his now-empty dinner plate - the fourth plate of the evening. Ahhh, it was nice being a jock. The "Kick-Off Dinner" had been MOST enjoyable, being surrounded by fellow sportsmen, the coaches, and every type of deep-fried or char-grilled food you can imagine. That last burger must have really hit the spot, 'cause he felt a good one coming on... Wait for it... Wait for iiiiiiit...<p>

"BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLCHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Ah, that felt good. It wasn't too shabby of a burp, either, probably in the range of a 7...

"Dude, nice one!" an upperclassman to his right commended, holding out a fist, which Alvin promptly bumped. The upperclassman to the right of the one who just fist-bumped let one of his own, however, and upstaged Alvin's in both volume and duration - but only by a little bit. The fist-bumping jock just laughed and told the burper, "Watch out, Mike, the new guy might just knock you out of your reigning championship!"

"Hah! How much you willing to bet on that, Jason?" the burper, Mike, challenged.

"Mmmm how about twenty bucks?" Jason the fist-bumper suggested.

"Deal."

"So, new kid, what's your name?" Jason asked, returning his attention to Alvin.

"Alvin."

"Good to meet you. I'm Jason, and this here's my wing-man, Mikey."

"Ugh, how many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?" Mike complained, taking another swig of cola as his plea fell on deaf ears.

"You seem like you're pretty on-the-level for a freshman, Al - Mind if I call you that?"

"_Better than calling me 'Allie' or something like that..."_ Alvin thought to himself, merely shrugging and saying "Sure."

"Hey listen, buddy, me an' my buddy here are headin' down to the music hall after this dinner here finishes up, see if we can't get a little peep or two at Britt... you wanna tag along?"

"Britt? Who's that?" Alvin inquired, wondering why the jocks were so concerned over seeing some music girl, instead of, oh... cheerleaders? Maybe he'd been wrong this whole time, maybe movies were misleading; he'd just assumed that jocks typically tried to hook up with cheerleaders and other athletic-type girls... After all, it's what they had in common. Musicians and artists just seemed more the type for the hipster crowd or something...

"Dude, don't you know Britt the famous singer-celebrity!? Aw, man, you're in for a treat. She's a total ten!" Mike interjected after he nearly spat out the cola he had been drinking due to sheer surprise at Alvin's ignorance.

"Yeah, man, one of the hottest chicks to ever grace our campus, with the exception of my girlfriend, of course. Oh yeah, bee-tee-dubs, man, Shayla Malone is off limits; you mess with my girl, you mess with me, got it?"

"You know I'd never stab a fellow bro in the back, bro!" Alvin insisted, holding up his hand in a "Scout's Honor" formation.

"So are you in?"

"Yeah, you bet I'm in!" Alvin affirmed, eager to get on any upperclassman's good side. He'd heard stories of freshman initiation and the like, so the sooner he had an 'in', the better. Besides, if this 'Britt' was as hot as they said, it could be worth it. Knowing the usual celebrity types, however, he had his doubts. They were usually pretty scary-looking once you got up close, and he had the misfortune of that happening when a couple of 'rehabbed' prodigal daughters had tried to improve their ratings by volunteering at the orphanage he was in at the time. Not a pleasant experience. One had told him to "Just shut up and let me read 'Princess Pouty-Face' to you, little brat!" when he had pointed out that she'd mispronounced the word "Especially" as "Expecially".

By the time they made it to the music hall, Alvin had fully convinced himself that this 'Britt' was probably nothing more than a half-baked, self-important celebrity that would be pleasant to look at for a little while, but would easily be forgotten. He kept his thoughts to himself, however, since Mike and Jason had motioned to be quiet as they stealthily led him through some back, dim-lit hallways and staircases. As the sound of loud pop music and singing began to greet his ears, it became apparent to Alvin where they were taking him: the catwalk. Perhaps this wasn't the 'in' that he was expecting, maybe it was a cruel freshman-initiation prank after all. Lucky for him, he wasn't afraid of heights, but he rather doubted any freshman prank would be quite that tame. Perhaps he was supposed to get a piece of Britt's hair by lowering a fishing line and gum or something. He hoped not; that'd be so unoriginal.

To his surprise, however, they didn't shove him out onto the catwalk alone or anything, but instead got down on their bellies and army-crawled out on the catwalk. Whether they did that so as to avoid having to look down or to avoid being seen from anyone below, Alvin couldn't tell, but in the case of the latter, it'd probably be in his best interest to lose the bright red hoodie he was wearing. Shedding the coat, he followed suit and shimmied out to the center of the catwalk where the upperclassmen were, already peering over the edge. He hoisted himself up on his elbows and poked his head out, eyes easily drawn to the animated figure below.

"Bienvenida, mamacita bonita!" he blurted involuntarily, suddenly very grateful for the loud music drowning out his voice. Okay, so, Jason and Mike _hadn't _exaggerated. Alvin couldn't help but stare as his eyes took in every inch of Britt, starting with her bubblegum-pink hair and going down. Even from this angle and distance he could make out the stunning turquoise color of her eyes, the sassy turn of her lips, the playful way she danced, and even the confident way she carried herself, sure of every footstep and beat. It was amazing how much you could tell about a person by their mannerisms, and so far, the best word he could think of to sum up what he saw was 'fierce', or maybe 'fiery', or 'feisty'. Whatever it was, he liked it. Funny how they all started with 'F' - all his past teachers' favorite letter. He had to admit, he had come expecting to see some over-done-up barbie doll strutting around like a peacock to recharge her self-esteem, not this... not her... What he saw instead was a self-assured woman with spunk, throwing her heart into her craft. She wasn't dressed to the nines but was rather clad in a simple t-shirt and yoga pants, her hair thrown up in a messy ponytail and not a speck of make up on... and she was beautiful. That got him thinking what she might look like all cleaned up... Unfortunately, his ponderings ended sooner than he would've liked when Jason punched his arm to get his attention.

"Alright, Freshman..." he said, holding out a spool of fishing line and gum.

* * *

><p>"Seems like everywhere I go, the more I see the less I know." Brittany sang, giving it her all, fluidly moving through the steps of the song. She had this part nailed, it was just the upcoming part that she was nervous about. The song was a duet and the person they'd hired as her male counterpart was doing, frankly, <em>horrifically<em>. The first couple times through the song, he'd managed to step on her foot! So much for being professional. And this was an up and coming star? If Brittany had had her way, she'd be partnering with one of her usuals, but Ian had been against her even doing the homecoming show in the first place, and drew the line at supplying TWO stars. So they'd been forced to start scrounging around the lower rungs of the agency for someone to be her partner. She finished the chorus with as much gusto as she could muster, even though she was starting to tire, "I love you, I love you, I love you!"

Her counterpart started his solo verse, singing, "Now I'm not a highly meta-physical man". Brittany resisted the urge to wince when his voice started to crack on the second line; it seemed he couldn't concentrate on both singing and dancing at the same time. When one was doing better, the other suffered. She was at least grateful that he hadn't stepped on her foot this time when they did their side-by-side cross step. They made it through nearly the rest of his solo verse without any dance mishaps, but when he got to the last line and sang, "Look into their eyes and you suddenly know.", Brittany found herself on the floor.

"Ow!' She shouted incredulously, wincing as she tried to get back up but discovered it hurt to do so.

"Britt! I'm so sorry!" her sorry excuse for a partner exclaimed, "I didn't mean to lose hold of you on the dip, I just thought I saw something up - "

"You 'thought you saw something'!? How is that more important than making sure I don't crash to the ground!?"

"I'm sorry!"

"Shut up and help me up!" At least the boy seemed to know better than to stand around blabbering when she ordered him to help, 'cause he immediately stooped to help her up, not saying a word as he did so. He hoisted her up as best he could, but when Brittany attempted to stand on her own, she collapsed right back down again.

"Ahhhh...!" she groaned, nursing her ankle, "I think it might be twisted. Quick, get the paramedic." Luckily, Ian kept his stars well-supplied with medical personnel, though she suspected it had more to do with keeping the show going rather than actual concern for the performers.

* * *

><p>"So much for that idea..." Mike grumbled, winding the fishing line back up as the trio watched the pop star getting rolled off stage in a wheel chair.<p>

"It was a lame and unoriginal idea in the first place..." Alvin muttered under his breath. He had this unfortunate habit of always needing to speak his mind, no matter how inappropriate or likely to get him into trouble it was.

"Oh yeah? Do you have a better idea!?" Jason challenged. Nuts, he'd heard him. Note to self: Jason has superb hearing.

"You really want a bit of her hair that badly?" Alvin reasoned.

"Do you know how much it'd fetch on eBay?" Jason retorted.

Alvin sighed; seems there was no getting out of this. Ah well, he'd have to make do. "Actually yes. You want a strand of hair that badly, fine. I'll get it for you, and I'll do it without any cheap tricks like gum."

"Oh yeah? How?"

"Just give me until Homecoming; I'll have it by then." Truth be told, Alvin didn't really have a plan on how he was going to get it, but he was confident that given the time, he'd succeed. Even now, his brain was churning out possibilities. Simon had informed him that he was now working part time as a janitor for the school, perhaps Simon could scrounge for loose hairs that had fallen from the girl's head when he was cleaning up the stage or something, or at least let him into the building after hours so he could look for it without getting caught.

"Alright, Freshie, deal. But if you don't have it by then..." he threatened, making Alvin think that college wasn't quite going to be the cakewalk he had original thought it was going to be...

* * *

><p>"Oh dear, how long will it take to heal!?" Eleanor exclaimed, already fawning unnecessarily over Brittany's injured ankle.<p>

"The doctor said it was minor, so it should only take about six weeks, just in time for homecoming."

"Six weeks!? That's a long time!"

"It's okay, Eleanor, I'm actually looking forward to a break. You know how busy Ian keeps me."

"It's not right that he keeps you so busy..." Her worried younger sister pouted, and soon her other joined in.

"Eleanor's right, Brittany. We know you love what you do, but we both think that you're working a little too hard..."

"Relax, Jeanette! You two worry too much! And you forget, I have much more stamina than you two combined!" She tried to reassure them, but secretly, she _had_ been getting a little burnt out recently. She was starting to understand why her sisters had left the spotlight. They had been child stars, debuting in a children's choir, eventually breaking off and being their own trio when they had signed on with Jett Records. Two years ago, Jeanette and Eleanor had decided to give it up for a normal life, but for Brittany, showbiz WAS a normal life. Her solo debut had been a huge success and her fan base was growing by leaps and bounds. As a result, her workload had dramatically increased, Ian no doubt wanting to milk her popularity for all it was worth. The next six weeks would be a welcome vacation; she was just a little bummed that she had to be injured to get it. Speaking of Ian, she needed to inform him of the doctor's verdict...

"Hey, why don't you two head out to my car? I'll meet you there after I call my manager, and then we can all head back to my place for a long overdue slumber party!" Her sisters beamed at the suggestion, no doubt overjoyed to have this unexpected extra time with her, and proceeded outside to wait.

Whipping out her phone, Brittany dialed '1', taking a moment to lament the fact that it was her manager that was her first speed-dial contact instead of a relative, then responded when the boisterous voice on the other end picked up, "Hey Ian, It's Brittany, I -"

"Brittany, baby! How's my girl doing?" Ian interrupted, going on a side trail about some new merchandise he had lined up for her brand. She sighed as she waited for a break in his drabbles, finally finding one about five minutes in. "Ian my ankle's twisted!" she rushed before he could start running his mouth off again.

"How nice! Hey did you hear that - ...Say WHAT!? What happened to your ankle!?"

"Oh, my dance partner accidentally dropped me on a dip step and - "

"He's FIRED! Hey Brittany, is anyone near you?"

"Uh..." Brittany stalled, caught off guard by the bizarre question, but she knew better than to ask Ian to explain his logic. Glancing around, she saw a middle-aged man walking by, carting around some sound equipment. "Yeah, one of the audio guys it looks like."

"Brilliant. Hey put him on the phone for me, will you?"

"Sure. Hey mister! Yeah, you carrying the sound stuff, can you come here for a moment? Ian Hawke wants to speak to you."

The poor man looked so confused, but he gently set down what he was carrying and hurried over to retrieve the phone. He hesitated a moment, seemingly put off by all the pink and glitter that adorned the case, but then answered, "Er... hello?"

"Hey! Buddy! I need you to do me a favor!"

"Uh... o-okay. What do you need me to do, Ian?"

"I need you to find a new partner for Brittany for this little charity thing. He needs to be a good dancer and singer so my little superstar doesn't get hurt again or look bad in front of anybody at the homecoming performance, capisc'?"

"Wh-what!? Ian, I-I'm just a composer and sound tech guy, I can't - "

"Oh don't worry, you'll do GREAT! Besides, I can't spare any other people right now. But I know you won't fail me, 'cause you know, if you do fail me, you'll be out on the streets with no future 'cause no one else hires ya when Ian Hawke fires ya, am I right? Of course I'm right, but you won't need to worry about that 'cause you're not gonna fail me, right?"

"Uhhh... right...?"

"I'm glad we understand each other! Hey listen, buddy, I gotta go, lots of important things to do, but before I go, I just need you to tell me your name for the record."

"Oh, yeah, it's uh, Dave. Dave Seville."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Yay, I got chapter two up much sooner than I anticipated! Yes, Brittany has pale pink hair. This is the only real deviation from the chipmunks' appearances (which, if you didn't yet pick up on it, take after their CGI movie looks). I just thought it would make sense, since unnaturally colored hair is all the rage these days, particularly for pop stars, and what better color for Brittany than her signature color? I debated what shade of pink to use, but ultimately decided to go with the pale pink to offset her blue eyes, giving an overall 'cotton candy' appearance... deceptively sweet, but oh so rotten and will make you sick if you get too much. Yay, symbolism!**  
><strong>

**References:**  
><em> - "Bee-tee-dubs"<em>: an alternative form of saying "BTW" meaning "By The Way"  
><em>- "Prodigal Daughers"<em>: A reference to Jesus' parable of the prodigal son. In summary, a wayward child who spiraled down in self-indulgence, hit rock bottom, and decided to clean up their act, ultimately returning home.  
><em> - "Bienvenida, mamacita bonita!"<em>: Spanish. Literally translated as "Welcome, little momma pretty". The English equivalent is probably more along the lines of: "Welcome, pretty little lady". The original Chipmunks had a song titled "I Wish I could Speak French" in which Alvin tries flirting with a French girl with his limited French vocabulary, and in "Chipwrecked", Simon becomes 'Simone', the French adventurer who tries to woo Jeanette with some French phrases. In keeping with that same theme, I figured that since the chipmunks had this habit of responding to pretty girls in a foreign language, I'd adapt it for this AU/AT. Since the boys grew up in the U.S. poor and passed around foster house to foster house, they wouldn't have had the educational atmosphere to learn a foreign language, they'd have to pick it up in every day life. It was far more probable that if they picked up any foreign vocabulary, it'd be Spanish, hence I used that instead of French. Not to mention the fact that I know more Spanish than French myself, which made the task easier.  
><em>- "Seems like everywhere I go, the more I see the less I know.", "I love you, I love you, I love you", "Now I'm not a highly meta-physical man", "Look into their eyes and you suddenly know."<em>: Lines from the song "Say Hey", on the "Chipwrecked" soundtrack  
><em>- "Jett Records"<em>: The name of the record label the Chipmunks are signed under in the CGI movies  
><em> - "Capisc'?": <em>Descended from Italian. English slang for 'Understand?', Pronounced 'kah-peesh'. Often seen in stereotypical American movies with Italian mob bosses.

**Story Artwork: **_digipukamon _DOT_ deviantart _DOT_ com _SLASH_ gallery _SLASH_ 52045446 _SLASH_ AATC-Chapter-Art_


	3. Chapter 3

**Review Responses: **_Thanks to all who left reviews! Below are some responses..._

_**Archer300 -**_Thanks for your continued support! It's so nice to know I've got a consistence reader that's still sticking with the story! :)

_**H.**_ **F. MunkMadness** - Likewise. My pen name was a nickname I got in middle school. What's the H and F stand for in your pen name? Glad you're enjoying the story so far!

**ShadowyRainy** - Your wish is my command! I had hoped to get this posted a little sooner, but it's still pretty close to your request. :)

_**Guest (The Italian**_** one!)** - Thank you so much for clarifying the bit of Italian I used. You are very right in saying that my use of it was very American. I wanted to express the phrase that has been adopted as American slang, but had to look up how to represent it in text form, since it's one of those words that you always hear, but never write. And since it looked nothing like it was pronounced, I put it in the reference section so that people would know what I was talking about. I struggled greatly for words on how to describe it, but since I was tired I made a hasty and poor attempt to do so. My apologies. I went back and updated the spelling and reference section to be a little clearer on the origins of the word in use, and hope that it makes sense not only to American readers, but any international readers who stumble across it... So again, thank you for your help in making that possible. Also, I had no trouble understanding your English, so please leave more reviews, I'd love to hear from you! :)

* * *

><p><span><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

_Artwork: #03 Pop Star Brittany_

"Say hey, I'll be gone today, but I'll be back around the way!" Alvin sang to himself as he climbed the steps to the studio loft apartment he shared with his brothers. He hadn't realized the song Britt was singing was so contagious, but now he couldn't get it out of his head, nor the image of Britt herself. Definitely the highlight of his evening. Not that hanging with Jason and Mike had been bad... Aside from their freshman prank, they seemed pretty cool, and after they left the music hall, they took him to meet some more upperclassmen, showed him around the dorm hall where all the jocks got to live, and even shot a few hoops with him before they all decided to call it a night. Even so, his favorite part had definitely been going to the music hall. He did always have a strong passion for music, maybe he'd just forgotten how much he liked it since he was so caught up in sports. That must be it... He must've gotten a little lost in his thoughts, for he suddenly realized he was at his doorway, but couldn't remember when he got there. Opening it and stepping in, he hung his red hoodie on his hook and began to untie his sneakers.

"And what took you so long to get home?" Simon demanded from his perch on the couch, apparently still sour about his scholarship not being as inclusive as Alvin's, judging by the tone in his voice.

"I told you we had that kick-off dinner, Si."

"Aaaand dinner takes six hours?"

"Okay, so me and a few of the guys hung out for a bit after the dinner. It's important to make new friends; we'll be here awhile."

"Hm... so let me ask you, what's more important? Leaving on time so you can keep your promise to your brother, or blowing him off so you can hang with some people you just met?"

"Oh shoot, that was today!?"

"Uh, yes, Alvin, get yourself a personal planner if you can't keep track of time on your own."

"I have one; his name is I-Think-I'm-Smarter-Than-You-Simon."

"I'm SERIOUS, Alvin! When are you going to grow up and start acting like an adult!?"

"Watch it, Si... Or do we need to take this outside?"

"G-guys, please stop!" Theodore interrupted, tentatively approaching his brothers, "It's okay, I don't mind."

Alvin's taut expression relaxed a little at Theo's plea, though his mounting anger had far from abated. For Theodore's sake, however, he decided to let it ebb away, taking a few second to breathe deep and let the tension subside. "I'm sorry, Theo. I completely forgot that I was supposed to pick you up from work today since Simon started his new job."

"That's alright. I managed to find Simon and just waited for him to finish so he could take me home instead."

"He waited for THREE HOURS, Alvin..." Simon hissed, his anger still not appeased.

"I know! I know! I'm sorry; It won't happen again! Hey, tell you what, Theo, I'll visit you on your lunch break tomorrow, treat you to something nice, okay?"

"Really!?" Theo asked, eyes lighting right up.

"Sure thing, anything you like, my treat."

"Thank you, Alvin!" Theo cried, rushing at Alvin and wrapping him in a hug.

Alvin just gave his little brother an affectionate noogie before they each went about their business to get ready for bed, for they all had to get an early start tomorrow.

"I thought love was only true in fairy tales..." Alvin sang nearly subconsciously; he couldn't help it, he just sang whenever he was happy... Inevitably, his brothers would join in, singing harmony or beat-boxing; it was just something they did, it was part of their identity.

Right on cue, Theodore joined in on, "Meant for someone else, but not for me!"

Simon still looked a little put out, but Alvin and Theodore closed in on him as they neared the chorus, and that's when Simon's anger finally calmed. He couldn't resist any longer and joined in with a strong baritone, "Then I saw her face! Now I'm a believer!"

Alvin started swing-dancing with Theodore's teddy bear, or at least, did as best he could despite the cramped area of the apartment, "Not a trace of doubt in my mind! I'm in love!" Simon and Theodore backed him up with the 'oo's and 'aa's that accompanied that part of the song, and before long, all three of them had collapsed on the couch, cackling with laughter over their impromptu concert.

* * *

><p>"Alright, Jeanette, your turn! Truth or dare?" Eleanor asked enthusiastically, and Jeanette took a few moments to mull over her decision. The evening had so far consisted of getting their injured sister back to her penthouse apartment, ordering far too much pizza and soda, playing a round of Jenga, and now several rounds of 'Truth or Dare', and the stakes were getting increasingly higher. Eleanor had just dared Brittany to touch the toilet brush, and it had taken a full twenty minutes to finally get her to do it, and another fifteen minutes assisting her in taking the full shower she insisted on taking after the completion of the dare. Now she was twisting her wet hair in her fingers, brow creased as she no doubt plotted far worse dares for Jeanette to complete.<p>

Jeanette weighed her options carefully in an attempt to determine which one was less likely to cause her discomfort. Brittany suddenly giggled to herself, no doubt settling on the perfect dare. 'Truth' was looking more and more like the safer option at this point. "Ummmm truth...?" she declared tentatively, still apprehensive over what her sisters would put her through.

"Hmmm..." Brittany hummed. Jeanette had guessed right; Brittany's brainstorming had been focused on the dare option.

"Oh! I know!" Eleanor piped up, then whispered her idea into Brittany's ear, since it was technically her turn to be challenging Jeanette. Jeanette cringed inwardly as her sisters plotted her demise – or at least, a demise is what it _felt_ like, even if it was just a game. Although she had to wonder what Eleanor had thought of. In general, Jeanette was a fairly open book, even though she kept to herself most of the time. She just wasn't in the habit of keeping secrets.

Giggling, her sisters turned back to her, finished with their secret pow-wow. In-between giggles, Brittany asked, "So, apparently you were positively beaming today, and we're not convinced that it was just because of school. I mean really, we all know you love your studies, but there wasn't even any lessons today! So spill!"

Jeanette gulped; maybe she _should_ have gone for the dare. It's not that she had anything to hide, or even to explain... She didn't even have a logical explanation for why she had been so happy that afternoon. It's just that somehow, ever since she'd bumped into _him_, she couldn't help but feel a little happier whenever he crossed her mind, which for some reason was happening way more than it should.

"Er, I don't know... I just... think I m-might have met a new fr-friend..." She managed to say finally, trying her best not to stutter, but failing miserably. Why was she so nervous anyway? There was nothing wrong with making a new friend! It's just that... she didn't make new friends very easily, thus it wasn't very often that she had to report that to her sisters. Oddly enough, they never seemed to notice before when she made new friends, why was this one suddenly so evident to them?

"_Friend_, huh?" Brittany prodded, emphasizing the first word as if this were an interrogation – which is what it felt like anyway, honestly. "'Fess up, Jeanette, that's not the sort of smile you wear when you make a friend... a 'just' friend, anyway."

What was Brittany getting at? What else could someone she just met be?

"What's his name, Jeanette?" Eleanor asked, eyes sparkling and ears leaning in.

Huh? How did she know it was a boy? Ugh, this whole conversation was so confusing! And she was supposed to be the smart one! Why did it seem like her sisters knew something she didn't? Suddenly feeling rather embarrassed, but having no idea as to why, she was only able to whisper his name.

"What was that?" Brittany teased, cupping a hand about her ear to indicate she hadn't heard her.

"H-he said it was S-Simon."

"I knew it! Jeanette's got a crush!" Brittany roared in triumph.

"What!? N-no! I – He's just a new friend I've made, I couldn't possibly... H-he wouldn't th-think of me th-that way either!" The ever-logical sister tried to reason, but it seemed her siblings weren't even listening to her.

"What's he like?" Eleanor asked.

"What does he do?" Brittany demanded.

"He seems rather kind... I – I mean, I've only just met him, I don't know much about h-him."

"What's he look like?" Brittany prompted.

Jeanette was having such a hard time keeping up with the questions, let alone trying to process all the thoughts running through her mind that had been triggered by thinking of Simon. Really, none of it made any sense... her heart started racing the moment she brought to mind the image of Simon, recalling every detail of his handsome face... Wait, she thought he was handsome!? "Er, well, h-he's rather tall, lean, brown hair... and he's got the d-deepest blue eyes I've ever s-seen..."

"Waaaahhh he sounds just like your type!" Brittany cooed. Type? What type? Jeanette couldn't think of any particular 'type' of friends she usually had... At least, not when it came to physical traits. She usually befriended classmates, so of course they had academics in common, but beyond that... She'd never befriended someone sooo... _nice_ to look at... No, there had been no previous friends that looked like Simon did, so 'type' made no sense... Unique was more like it - unique, stunning, and perfect.

"Aw, leave her alone, she's blushing!" Eleanor cut in. Jeanette hadn't even realized she'd begun to blush. She was so confused... Everything had made sense this morning, but one encounter and suddenly she found her mind thinking such illogical thoughts, particularly when her sisters suggested such preposterous scenarios...

"Well if we don't ask her questions, how will we know if he's good enough for our Jeanette!?" Brittany protested, completely serious, by the look on her face. Brittany was rather... _tough_ when it came to the subject of men... Any moment now, she'd launch into her mini-speech...

"You know, Jeanette, you don't need a guy to make you happy; we are all strong women who can think for ourselves and don't need a man to make us feel special. So this 'Simon' fellow better be one special man who knows how to treat a girl right and realizes what a wonderful woman you are."

It's a speech that Brittany often recited - to her sisters, to reporters, and to herself. It wasn't a bad speech; in fact, it was rather inspiring for any woman to hear. Jeanette just wondered if Brittany used it as a scapegoat to avoid getting into a relationship herself. "I know, Brittany. As I said before, there's n-nothing between us... I only j-just met him and just became f-friends."

Jeanette was spared from further embarrassment and explanation when the phone rang. "I'll get it!" Eleanor exclaimed as she jumped up and dashed to answer it. "Hello, Brittany Miller's phone!" She greeted cheerily. "Oh hi, mom!"

Jeanette's eyes snapped to see Brittany's reaction. Brittany was pretty good at concealing her emotions, but she had gone completely rigid, as Jeanette expected. The bespectacled sister bit her lip apprehensively, fearing an all-out shouting match as Eleanor delivered the phone to her crippled sibling.

Brittany took a deep breath before answering, and despite Jeanette trying to avoid eavesdropping, it was hard to ignore...

"Yes, mom, I'm fine... No, I won't be coming home... I'll figure something out... I told you... No, Mom, listen... Mom, you aren't... you aren't listening... I said, I'll find something else out. You won't need to do anything, just do your normal thing."

Brittany was obviously quite annoyed during the whole conversation, and Jeanette could guess it was about Brittany's sprained ankle. Mom was no doubt trying to help, and Brittany was being all self-sufficient again. Ever since about two years ago, Brittany had been pushing their mother away, and it pained Jeanette to see Brittany trying to handle everything on her own. Then again, at least she hadn't pushed her sisters away too. When Brittany finally hung up the phone, Eleanor immediately moved to smooth things over. "Brittany, mom's just worried - "

"There's nothing to worry about, I'm fine." Brittany huffed.

"You're in a wheelchair for the next several days!" Eleanor cried.

"And my schedule's been pushed back to accommodate that."

"What about things like getting in and out of bed, and showers? You also should get out a bit; you can't stay cooped up that whole time!"

"I could probably get Ian to send over a nurse - "

"You'd let someone you don't know live in your house for a few days!?"

"Well what do you suggest I do? I am NOT letting _her_ stay here!"

"Y-you can't keep blaming her for what happened..." Jeanette spoke up, hoping to break up the argument between Eleanor and Brittany, and perhaps get to the root cause – Brittany's aversion to their mother. The glare Brittany gave her in response didn't seem to indicate that Jeanette's attempt had been successful.

Thankfully, Eleanor was just as ready as Jeanette to end this argument and offered, "Well, if not mom... how about me? School doesn't start for me until next week... I could move in and help you get around the house..."

"That would be perfect!" Brittany exclaimed, spirits noticeably rising.

"What about your job?" Jeanette asked, not happy to rain on their parade, but someone had to be the voice of reason.

"Well, that'll only be during the day. I can still help Brittany out at night and in the mornings, when she needs it most."

"Well, a-alright... But if you need help during the day, Brittany, you should really consider calling mom up... All she wants to do is help."

"She can't help!" Brittany snapped, anger suddenly returning full force. "Not after what she did!"

"Brittany..." Eleanor soothed, "You can't stay mad forever... And you can't keep blaming her for what happened. Sooner or later, you're going to have to let it go, for your own good."

"You know what!? I think it's time for bed." Brittany declared with finality, officially ending their activities for the night. Her tone of voice made it very clear that she didn't want to speak any further on the matter, so the younger girls silently went about preparing for bed, hoping and praying that Brittany would be more open to discussion in the morning.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Ooo, sorry to end on such a sour note! What happened two years ago that's got Brittany so uptight? Too bad their bed time stands in such a stark contrast to the boys' happy one... On a sidenote, I hope this chapter was readable... I found that writing in Jeanette's point of view was such a challenge! She's so soft-spoken, and so contemplative, that there was a lot less dialogue to write, and much more thought dialogue, which can be very easy to let it get too wordy, hard to read, and dull / boring. So I hope that didn't deter anyone... and I do hope to improve in writing for Jeanette, as sometimes having that pensive inner dialogue can really convey the deeper meaning in a story... it's just so very hard to write...

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! (At least, those of you who in the U.S. who celebrate it! I'm honored to find out that my story isn't just being read by Americans (Not that you American readers aren't equally awesome!), it's just the fact that there are actually more than a couple people reading it... people who live so far away from where I do... it just blows my mind. So here's my official shout out to all of you: you rock! Thanks for reading my story! I'm very thankful for each and every one of you, and to all who follow, favorite, and/or review this story!

**References:**  
>- <em>"I thought love was only true in fairy tales..."<em>, _"Meant for someone else, but not for me"_, _"Then I saw her face! Now I'm a believer!"_, _"Not a trace of doubt in my mind! I'm in love!"_: Snippets from "I'm a Believer", originally performed by The Monkees, but probably better known to most readers by the Smashmouth rendition, used in the Shrek movie. The version I used here (not that it matters, since the lyrics are the same), was The Monkees version, as there are more parts for harmonization, in the classic style of The Chipmunks music, especially because they're originally a 60's band, and the song is originally from the 60's. Why did I choose this song? To indicate that Alvin, Simon, and Theodore have subconsciously fallen in love at first sight of course! So even with all that's gone on during Alvin and Simon's first day at college, they're still pretty darn happy they got to meet a memorable pretty face that day.  
>- <em>Theodore's Teddy Bear<em> : an allusion to Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt, and how the Teddy Bear first got its name. Why? Because they share the name "Theodore" and Theodore is just so cute, of course he'd have a teddy bear!  
>- <em>Jenga<em>: A game where a tower of wooden blocks is formed, and each player takes turns removing a wooden block from farther down the tower to the top of the tower while avoiding a collapse. A common game at sleepovers and game nights, at least, for us children of the 90's.  
>- <em>Truth or Dare: <em> A classic sleep-over / party game where players take turns selecting to either complete a dare, or divulge a truthful answer to a highly personal question. Such a great tool for fanfiction stories, 'cause how else could you back your characters into a corner so easily?

**Story Artwork: **_digipukamon _DOT_ deviantart _DOT_ com _SLASH_ gallery _SLASH_ 52045446 _SLASH_ AATC-Chapter-Art_

**Thanks for reading!**


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